Tackling one-tenth of Haitian deaths and helping the environment

Published by Justin - 2017-03-20

Bjorn Lomborg discusses two new research papers which look at different ways to reduce deforestation and deal with the interlinked challenge of air pollution.

It sounds almost too good to be true: a single development investment that tackles one of Haiti’s biggest death-tolls and at the same time combats deforestation and pollution. That is what one contribution to the Haiti Priorise project suggests.

While some depictions show Haiti to be almost entirely deforested, recent work finds that up to one-third of land is covered in trees. In any case, having more trees can help Haiti, because it can prevent erosion, aid pollination, and improve water-flow."

This project is undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada. The opinions and interpretations in the publications are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Government of Canada.